


I Know All About Sacrifice Too

by LockWhoSuper



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Crying, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-War, sort of, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-04 02:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4122345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LockWhoSuper/pseuds/LockWhoSuper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hey scar-head!" </p>
<p>Harry froze mid-step, scowling. "What do you want Malfoy?" He called over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around and face him. </p>
<p>"Where's your fan club?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Know All About Sacrifice Too

**Author's Note:**

> Authors note- Trigger warning, it's probably not even that bad but just to be sure. It's a sort of depressing fic, talking about the war and Voldemort and stuff so, please be careful when reading, I just want you guys to be happy and safe.
> 
> Originally, this started out based on this prompt: 'I was about to punch you in the face but you caught my fist in your hand and just held it and I was so impressed all I could do was whisper bro and now we're dating.' But I wasn't quite feeling in so I made it sad-ish.

"Hey scar-head!" 

 

Harry froze mid-step, scowling. "What do you want Malfoy?" He called over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around and face him. 

 

"Where's your fan club?" Comes Draco's voice in reply, dangerously close to Harry, his breath ghosting over Harry's shoulders making him shiver through the layers of his robes. 

 

Harry just rolled his eyes behind his glasses, brushing off the chill Draco settled on his neck, it didn't mean anything. Draco always made Harry's hairs stand on end. This time wasn't any different. Except it was. Because the war was over and him and Draco shouldn't be fighting like a couple of first years. 

 

Except they still did. 

 

Harry found that Draco was like a shard of glass, stuck in his lungs rubbing the wrong way every time he took a breath. So naturally, Harry had to rub back. "The only fan I see is you Malfoy."

 

A high pitched whine that could have only come from Draco made Harry smirk.

 

_One point to Harry, zero points to Draco. Take that you tosser_ , Harry thought a little smug. 

 

"I am _not_ a fan of yours Potter!" Draco retorted, stomping around from behind Harry to face him. His grey eyes were filled with fire and Harry bit his tongue to stop a grin. Instead he faked hurt, his lip wobbled pathetically, his eyebrows drew together in desperation and the corners of his mouth turned down in an exaggerated sadness, he may have even shed a tear or two.

 

"You're not a fan of me?" Harry sniffed, "but everyone's a fan of _The_ Harry Potter! The _Savior_ of the Wizarding World! Don't you want an autograph Malfoy? I always carry _dashing_ photographs of myself around in the pockets of my robes a spare quills just _encase_. Or would you rather me tell you the story of how _brave_ I was when I defeated the 'Dark Lord?' How _frightened_ I must have been?" Harry placed a hand to his chest and clutched his heart dramatically. He had found over the last few months of their eighth year at Hogwarts, that the only way to really get a reaction out of Draco was to talk about his fame, or rather, _act_ it out with whiny voices and pretend well placed gasps from his so called 'fan club'.

 

Flirting worked too but Harry avoided it. It would be too easy to get swept away in Draco.

 

Draco grunted, a delicate sneer twisted at his pale lips. "I-I don't want your ugly autograph! You just love being in the spot light don't you Potter?"

 

Harry gasped, "oh you caught me! You're right Draco, I just love being the center of attention, knowing that everyone is talking about me all across the world, saying anything they like behind my back. Don't you just love the gossiping? And the way the truth gets twisted until people just start making things up? All the admiration I get from complete strangers is the reason why I keep living, oh and how can I forget the absolute loathing I get from complete strangers? They blame me for not saving their mothers, fathers, siblings, friends, because I wasn't quick enough to sacrifice my self to Lord _Fucking_ Voldemort! I wasn't quick enough to _die_." He had started off sarcastic, his voice laced with just the right amount of humor to piss Draco off and hide his true feelings, but halfway through Harry felt an unfamiliar passion, an anger that he had tried so hard to hide from everyone. By the end Harry was screaming, his breaths labored and Draco took a small step back, as if he was afraid of Harry. 

 

With one quick look into Draco's eyes, Harry's anger crumbled, leaving him exposed and raw. A depression consumed him and before he could stop himself, thick heavy sobs were racking his chest and tears streamed down his cheeks. He couldn't care less that his 'sworn rival' was standing right in front of him, he didn't care that Draco would hold this over his head for the rest of the school year. Harry could just imagine the gloating, "how amazing Potter broke down crying like a little girl, practically hugging my knees as he wept." 

 

Strong arms enveloping him was the last thing that Harry expected. One arm around his waist, the other rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. Harry instinctively burrowed his head into Draco's collarbone, inhaling the smell of broom stick polish and hair gel in between sobs. Draco held him until Harry's tears turned into small sniffs and his shoulders stopped shaking. A heavy weight felt like it had finally been lifted from Harry's chest and he could breath again. 

 

Draco said nothing as Harry lifted his head from it's place at his throat, but he kept his arms locked around Harry. Harry wiped his face on the sleeve of his robes and looked anywhere but Draco, a swell of shame flooded the free space in Harry's chest and colour rose to his cheeks. 

 

"I never knew you felt that way," Draco whispered in the air between them.

 

Harry just nodded and ran his hands over his face. He was only 17 years old but he felt 70 and seven all at once.

 

"Why didn't you say anything?" Draco asks, so sincerely, so concerned that all Harry can do is stare at the Slytherin.

 

When a little bit of Harry's dignity comes back to him, he swallows and says, "you thought I was going to just run up to _you_ and tell you all of my problems?"

 

It's Draco's turn to blush and he releases Harry from his hug almost like he was burnt from the contact. "I just thought that we're- You and I- I- We're the same. Not, not the _same_ , but, we have similar life experiences?"

 

"Similar life experiences? Malfoy you've got to be bloody joking. What would you know about anything that I've been through?"

 

Draco shuffles his feet and Harry can't remember ever seeing _Malfoy_ this flustered. "Do you remember when we met? On the train? I wanted to be your friend so badly that I would have done _anything_ to share a carriage with you, the wizard who defeated the Dark Lord. But then you were sitting with a Weasly and Granger and rejected my offer of friendship in front of everyone, making a fool of me. I was embarrassed and hurt, that's why I did all those things to you and your friends, stole Longbottom's Rememball. Then the Dark Lord rose again, and my father and all the other Slytherin's started pressuring me into accepting the Dark Mark. I didn't want it!" Draco took a deep breath. "But I didn't have any other choice! Any other options because if I didn't take it He would have killed me! Killed my whole family! At first I was proud to bare it, proud for my father who was so afraid that we'd all be killed but didn't show it because he was cold, thoughtless, selfish, and choose the wrong side to fight for and paid dearly for it." Taking another step back from Harry, Draco ran a shaky, pale hand through his equally pale hair.

 

"That's why I lied about not knowing you in the Manor, because you were the only hope left. When the Dark Lord found out that I lied-" He swallowed thickly. "I didn't want to go to him during the battle either, I wanted to stay for you. Fight for the right side, but I couldn't let Him kill my mother. I know all about sacrifice too, Potter." He finished in a whisper.

 

Slowly, Harry stepped forwards and clasped Draco's shoulders. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

 

Draco scoffed and shook his head. "The worst thing was Dumbledore. It was my chance to _prove_ myself, to show everyone that I wasn't a coward, that I was loyal to the Dark Lord. I couldn't even do that right."

 

Sliding his hands up Draco's shoulders, Harry cupped Draco's cheeks in his palms and pulled lightly and the little curls at the nape of his neck. "You are not a coward, what you did was _brave_ and you're a good person for lowering your wand, Dumbledore was ready to help you. _Snape_ was the coward."

 

"Hey," Draco said lightly. "That's still my God father you're talking about."

 

Harry blinked in surprise and just as fast as his tears appeared earlier, laughter bubbled from his lungs and burst through his lips until both him and Draco were leaning into each other to keep themselves from collapsing to the floor in giggles. Rubbing his eyes as his giggles dies down, Harry sighed, he was exhausted from the days emotional roller coaster. 

 

"Are you alright Potter?" 

 

"Yeah," Harry said tiredly. "You do know that my names _Harry_ , right?"

 

Draco rolled his eyes, "I'm not stupid Potter."

 

Harry cracked a small smile. "Harry," Draco corrected with a smile of his own.

 

"I wish we could start again." Chewing his lip, Harry rubbed at his neck, unable to read Draco's expression.

 

Draco hummed low in his throat, thoughtful. Sticking his hand out in the inch of space between them, he grinned, and Harry was almost blinded by the intensity of it. "I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy."

 

Laughing, Harry grasped the offered hand and clung to it like a life line. "Harry, Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you, _Draco_." They laughed together and Harry rubbed his thumb along Draco's knuckles. 

 

"Would you like to eat lunch with me Draco?" Harry asked, almost shy. 

 

Draco nodded, a warmth filling the hole Harry had left gaping open when he was 11. Without releasing his firm grip on Draco's hand, Harry intertwined their fingers and pulled him along beside him.


End file.
